Appleby Horse fair begins

The Appleby horse fair has officially started, Gypseys and travellers have been arriving at the small Cumbrian village for the past week. The Appleby Horse fair is one of the biggest gatherings of the travelling community in Europe.

The population of the small Cumbrian village swells from around 2,500 to over 40,000 for the week of the fair.Many different agencies work together to make sure the fair is successful and safe for both the settled community and the travellers.Assistant Chief Constable Michelle Skeer explained to ITV Border that numbers are already up on last year and she gave advice to drivers who should keep an eye out for horses in the area.

Eden District Council are also heavily involved in the planning operation. Robin Hooper, the Council's Chief Executive explained how they try to make sure the fair goes smoothly by keeping regular meetings with both the settled community and the travelling community throughout the year to find out what works and what doesn't and how things can be improved.

ITV Border's Helen Pearson took to the streets in Appleby and asked why people came to the fair:

Helen Pearson sent this report for ITV Border: